By Simon Turibamwe
Justice Minister Gen Kahinda Otafiire has asked Police to move out of office and go to ICT Minister Nantaba’s home in Kayunga to record a statement from her pertaining the murder of Ronald Sebulime. Otafiire told the media on Thursday morning that if Nantaba has expressed a security concern and notified the police that she is not safe walking to police for a statement, the police detectives should go to her home and record a statement. “If she has communicated to you the reasons to why she can’t reach the Police for a statement and is not in hiding or telling you that she is not willing then what’s hard for the serious police to record her statement from home? It is not a mandate that statements must recorded inside police offices,” said Kahinda Otafiire adding that he has on several times recorded a statement with police from his home while sharing a cup of tea. Otafiire added that Nantaba has the fear and she only feel safe when she is at her home but the police have continued to risk her life by harassing her with calls to record a statement at CID headquarters. He wondered on why the police has refused to go to Nantaba’s home yet they are the one’s responsible for the murder of Sebulime who was reported by Nantaba after being suspicious that he was after her life. Otafiire said that police have full responsibility of killing Sebulime who was already an apprehended suspect. “This has never happened anywhere in Africa to kill a suspect after successfully arresting, handcuffing and put under the custody of police. That person is already on your mercy and there can’t be any order to kill him or her,” said Otafiire while laughing at police. He added that much as members of the forces are told to obey commanding and lawful orders, they have the right to disobey unlawful orders. “I don’t know how to describe the kind of a police officer who can accept taking an unlawful order but if you receive an unlawful order you have the right to disobey it. Even if it was the President or the IGP a trained police officer would not take an order to kill an already apprehended suspect.” Otafiire said. He also observed that the police might be having some crew on Nantaba’s security fears and it might be a reason to why they hurriedly killed an already apprehended Sebulime. Otafiire expressed his suspicion about police saying that: “I suspect they knew something about Nantaba and that’s why they hurriedly killed the young man who was already in their custody. Instead of harassing Nantaba why don’t they find out who gave the order to kill Sebulime and for what reason?” Otafiire defended Nantaba’s defiance saying that her security is not guaranteed while at police because she is also confused on why police killed a suspect she reported and successfully arrested. Ronald Sebulime was killed after he was arrested by Police after Nantaba reported that he was after her life. Police has been appealing to Nantaba to report to police CID headquarters to record a statement but she also refused saying that she is under the directive of the president who is concerned for her own security.
